Judges and lawyers routinely face making life-altering, best interest decisions about infants and young children who
have experienced significant adverse experiences, including traumatic events, and are at risk for devastating long-term
outcomes. However, the early years also represent an unmatched opportunity to put science to work to effectively
intervene and influence the developmental trajectories of vulnerable infants, young children, and their families.

To this end, this conference is a unique opportunity to learn from and engage with internationally-recognized experts
(including judges, lawyers, and infant mental health clinicians) from evidence-based court teams developed in the USA.
Working together, we will build on and adapt these model programs for implementation in the Canadian context, and
in British Columbia, to create the BC Infant and Early Childhood Court Teams (IEECTs).
T
he goals of the court team include community engagement and systems change to “improve child safety and wellbeing, heal trauma and repair the parent/child relationship, expedite permanency, prevent recurrence of maltreatment,and stop the intergenerational cycle of abuse/neglect/violence.” (Florida’s Early Childhood Court, 2015)